Leland Strom
Term Expires: October 16, 2029
Board Secretary
Member - Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Personnel Committee
Member - Finance, Audit, Compliance, Facilities and Operations Committee
Chair - Research and Innovation, Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee
Office Address
Board of Trustees
Northern Illinois University
Altgeld Hall 300
DeKalb, IL 60115
lstrom@niu.edu
Professional Experience
- Partner, Open Prairie Rural Opportunities Fund, RBIC (Rural Business Investment Company)
- Service on several Open Prairie funded company boards of directors, including board chair
- Former CEO and Chairman, Farm Credit Administration, Washington D.C. (financial regulator of the Farm Credit System and Farmer Mac)
- Former Chairman of the Board, Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation
- Former President and CEO, FARM Illinois
- Former President and CEO, Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation
- Former Director and Vice-Chair, AgriBank Farm Credit Bank
- Former Director and Chair, 1st Farm Credit Services
- More than four decades of agriculture production, agribusiness and government experience
Education and Leadership Development
- Honorary Doctorate, Humane Letters, NIU
- Harvard University Kennedy School, Leadership for the 21st Century, Executive Education
- University of Missouri, Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, Executive Education
- Graduate, Illinois Agricultural Leadership Program, Executive Education
- Graduate, Illinois Farm Bureau, Agriculture Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT), Executive Education
- Studied Business at NIU
- A.S. Agriculture, Kishwaukee College
Leadership and Public Service
- Member, Harvard Kennedy School Public and Private Scientific, Academic, and Consumer Food Policy Group
- Member, Illinois Agri-Food Alliance Board of Directors
- Member, Illinois Lt. Governor Stratton’s Advisory Council on Agriculture Equity and Food Security
- Past member, Chicago Federal Reserve Bank Advisory Council on Agriculture, Labor and Small Business
- Past member, Country Financial Mutual Funds Trust Board of Directors
- Past member, The Farm Credit Council, Board of Directors
- Past member, DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association Board of Directors
- Past member and Vice-President, Central CUSD 301 Board of Education
- Past member, Illinois Farm Bureau State Young Farmer Board
- Kane County Farm Bureau, member and former director
- Past member, Village of Lily Lake Plan Commission